Crestliner CX 1754 Project

[Ray Clark]

Great progress; lots of work and now the payoff!

 

[Makaw]

Very nice work!

 

[drxfish]

Great job and beautiful result! I like the gray color.

 

[Still Afloat]

I’m inspired by your refurb. Nice work, particularly on the console.

I have a 1997 Crestliner 1750 Tournament Pro which is similar as far as the construction techniques. The boat is due for some freshening up but it‘s in better shape than yours was before you reworked it. The carpet is shot, it needs fresh paint, the wiring is functional but a real birds nest and too many people with power tools have touched this boat. However, it’s still completely useable and I have another boat build in the works so this is a longer term project in the “thinking about it” stage.

I’m interested in your decision to stick with carpet over vinyl or EVA. The deck lids were designed to be carpet wrapped so that may have influenced your decision. Did you feel it was just too much work to take a different route?

Vinyl, EVA and perhaps even redecking with aluminum for durability and easy cleanup are options that I want to explore. I know I will regret carpet the first time that’s covered with fish slime, dog hair or a can of porter or stout beer gets spilled on it.

 

[Transplant]

I

I’m inspired by your refurb. Nice work, particularly on the console.

I have a 1997 Crestliner 1750 Tournament Pro which is similar as far as the construction techniques. The boat is due for some freshening up but it‘s in better shape than yours was before you reworked it. The carpet is shot, it needs fresh paint, the wiring is functional but a real birds nest and too many people with power tools have touched this boat. However, it’s still completely useable and I have another boat build in the works so this is a longer term project in the “thinking about it” stage.

I’m interested in your decision to stick with carpet over vinyl or EVA. The deck lids were designed to be carpet wrapped so that may have influenced your decision. Did you feel it was just too much work to take a different route?

Vinyl, EVA and perhaps even redecking with aluminum for durability and easy cleanup are options that I want to explore. I know I will regret carpet the first time that’s covered with fish slime, dog hair or a can of porter or stout beer gets spilled on it.

I wrestled with the decision of vinyl vs carpet for months before deciding. Eventually it came down to the installation process. Carpet has a ton of forgiveness on install. If you're a little short somewhere you can jam a piece in without it being super noticeable. Inside corners of hatches are easily filled. All corners are pretty much a "close enough" fit. I understand that carpet gets messy quicker, and vinyl certainly was tempting, but knowing I was installing myself I decided I'd rather have carpet with a home install vs vinyl with a home install. And after doing it I definitely don't regret my decision.

 

[Transplant]

I’m inspired by your refurb. Nice work, particularly on the console.

I have a 1997 Crestliner 1750 Tournament Pro which is similar as far as the construction techniques. The boat is due for some freshening up but it‘s in better shape than yours was before you reworked it. The carpet is shot, it needs fresh paint, the wiring is functional but a real birds nest and too many people with power tools have touched this boat. However, it’s still completely useable and I have another boat build in the works so this is a longer term project in the “thinking about it” stage.

I’m interested in your decision to stick with carpet over vinyl or EVA. The deck lids were designed to be carpet wrapped so that may have influenced your decision. Did you feel it was just too much work to take a different route?

Vinyl, EVA and perhaps even redecking with aluminum for durability and easy cleanup are options that I want to explore. I know I will regret carpet the first time that’s covered with fish slime, dog hair or a can of porter or stout beer gets spilled on it.

Actually I should add... back in March I finally got the last piece of carpet glued down and the last aluminum panel screwed in. I considered the carpet finally done, so I hopped out of the boat (it's parked in my backyard) and started clearing all the junk out to prep for some photos. I tossed the shopvac in the boat and climbed aboard, quickly discovering brown dirty footprints were following me as I walked around. No exaggeration, within 2 minutes of finishing the entire project of putting new carpet in the boat, I promptly stepped in dog poo and spread it all around the new carpet. It was only a few minutes with some carpet cleaner and the shop vac and we got that sorted out (and I have a wet vac for anytime the mess justifies dragging it out). Even when I was vacuuming dog poo from the carpet I still didn't regret my choice to go carpet.

 

[Still Afloat]

Oh crap! Literally.

 

[LDUBS]

Well, we have all had one of those days.

 

[Transplant]

Still sorting out minor issues: a faulty connector on my Livewell pump, additional support on my slightly flimsy front fishfinder mount, and learning that the motor does not actually charge the starting battery when I’m running But the payoff for all this work is obvious.

 

[thill]

Aw man, I somehow missed out on this thread!

I would have recommended several things.

For your charging issue, you probably need to replace the rectifier/voltage regulator. Something like this one:
https://www.amazon.com/Rectifier-Regulator-Compatible-830179T-883072-75-200HP/dp/B091YHP4SF
To clean those seats, there is a product that is like no other that I have seen. It's called Nautical One Extreme Mildew Stain Remover. I had vinyl seats that NOTHING else would clean, not even straight Clorox bleach. Guys guaranteed that this stuff would work, so I tried it, and WOW, it pulled the stuff right out of the vinyl:

https://nautical1.com/products/nautical-one-xtreme-mildew-removerhttps://www.ebay.com/itm/175759268065
For rust stains, try some Oxalic acid or Starbright Rust Stain Remover.

But worst case, the final product I would recommend is Vinyl spray. This works on older seats and ones where you want to change the color. I use it a LOT when refurbishing boats:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Rust-Oleum-Fabric-and-Vinyl/46891768https://www.ebay.com/itm/383593596539
Sorry for the very late recommendations. Congrats on getting it back together and running!

 

[Transplant]

I have an outboard maintenance question for all the fine folks here. I’m running a 90hp Mariner 2 stroke 3 cylinder. I’m patiently waiting for carb kits and a thermostat kit to arrive so I can take everything apart and get everything running at peak efficiency. I am having a minor issue with cold startup, it’s usually taking me a few tries to get the idle up, I’m guessing it’s low fuel. Once warmed up everything is working good. My question is, should I be ordering any other maintenance parts? I’ve read about reed valves being an issue, but I’ve also read that it’s rare for these to be a problem. I’ve seen a few videos of the idle adjustment process and will be following that, are there any other adjustments I should be looking into? Thanks folks!

 

[airshot]

Get a " factory" service manual for your specific motor, lots of good adjustment info in there . Forget the Clymer and other aftermarket books, just extra toilet paper. Check Ebay, I find most of mine on there or look for downloads.

 

[thill]

Some older motors like to be run at a fast idle at startup for a few minutes. You lift the idle lever on the side control mount, start it up, and let it warm up while you park the truck. And then it will be fine for the rest of the day.

You can enrichen the idle fuel mixture to make it run better when cold, but then it will be pretty smoky for the rest of the day. You can try to adjust it somewhere in between those two extremes. Open the idle mix screws 1/8 turn out and see if that helps. If it's too smoky, turn them back in.

I hope this is helpful.

 

[Wallyfisher]

I have the same boat only it’s a 2001 with a front and rear deck seat. Love the boat but looking at doing what you have done as well over the winter. Was it much work to remove the dash/counsel?